McDonald: A Productive Week

As Blackpool’s time at their Scottish training camp approaches its conclusion, manager Neil McDonald reflects on a productive week with his new squad.

The Seasiders have spent the last five days gelling above the border through a series of training drills and team bonding exercises.

Due to leave their Stirling base via St Johnstone on Saturday, McDonald believes he returns to Blackpool with a tight-knit group.

“The week’s been very good,” said McDonald. “The boys have all got to know each other and a few people have come out of their comfort zone.

“We’ve tested them all the way through fitness wise. We set times for when they need to be on the training field and everybody’s there half an hour early, so they're really looking forward to it.

“The training sessions have been good, they’re learning all the time. We’ve still got lots to do, we’ve got to sharpen up a bit, and be a little crisper with our passing but we’ve got a couple of weeks until the season starts so we’ll work around the clock.”

The final test of the week sees Blackpool meet St Johnstone in a friendly on Saturday, where McDonald is planning to mix up the side which played against Ross County earlier this week.

“There’s probably one or two that’re going to play again but we’re testing the dynamics, the different partnerships, seeing which ones work.

“Leading up to Colchester I’ll have a really good idea what sort of system we’re going to play and who is going to play in the system, and we’ll use the games to get to that conclusion,” he added.